


He's not my brother

by WeirdV



Series: Let's write some prompts, cause it's fun. [19]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 3 Chapters, AU, Different POV's, Fluff, M/M, No Werewolves, Scott and Derek become brothers, but happy ending, character injury, foster brothers - Freeform, foster mom Talia, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3416243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirdV/pseuds/WeirdV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“No, I get it” Stiles says, “With a brother like that, you’re never getting laid again.”<br/>“He is not my brother.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scott McCall

**Author's Note:**

> This story is three chapters.  
> Chapter 1 is Scott's POV, chapter 2 is Stiles POV and chapter 3 is Derek's POV.  
> Each chapter will reveal more information and will let the storyline progress.

**He is _not_ my brother**

Everything changes on a Thursday afternoon. It’s not a particularly special day. Melissa McCall leaves for work in the afternoon. She has dinner in the cafeteria and calls home to make sure her son is doing his homework. She calls him back fifteen minutes late to make sure that Stiles isn’t distracting him and reminds them to finish their work first, and _then_ play video games.

Melissa McCall has a regular shift.

Until a patients goes mad, grabs a scalpel and attacks her.

[…]

_2 weeks later_

“Scott, can you sit down, please” the sheriff says, gesturing towards the couch, “We have to talk.”

“Is there any news about my mom? Did she wake up?” he asks, the sheriff shakes his head and Scott glances over to his friend sitting at the other end of the couch and looking at his feet. “What’s going on?”

“Child services came by. You’ve been staying with us since –.” the sheriff stops himself, unable to finish the sentence _your mother fell into a coma during surgery_ , “for the past two weeks. You know I’d keep you here if I could, but since I’m not registered as a foster parent, I’m not allowed to.”

“What does that mean?” Scott asks, even though he already knows the answer, “Where am I supposed to go?”

“I called in a few favors” the sheriff says, “I know it’s difficult, but you’ll be able to stay in school here. They’ll come and pick you up in three days. We’re going to the house tomorrow to pack up, and rent it out until your mom gets back.”

“Who?” he asks after a while, trying to process the news, “ _Who_ will I be staying with?”

“Talia Hale” he says, “She’s coming to pick you up, and we’ll talk beforehand helping you settle in.”

“Dude, I’m sorry” Stiles says, reaching over and pulling his friend into a hug, “I’m going to help you in any way I can.”

“Why can’t I just stay here? I don’t know those people!” Scott says, trying not to get angry.

“I’m sorry son” the sheriff sighs, “I tried getting registered as a foster parent, but I didn’t qualify because of my job.”

“It’s okay” Scott says after a while, “You did all you could. Thanks.”

[…]

“I’ll see you on Monday” Scott says, giving Stiles one more hug, “I’m gonna miss you.”

“You too” Stiles sighs, “Call me when you get there, okay?”

“Okay.”

[…]

“This is your room” Talia says, “You’ll be sharing with my son, Derek. My daughters are still at school, I’ll introduce you to them when they get home. They’re looking forward to meet you.”

“Thanks” he mutters, trying not to sound ungrateful.

“Look, Scott, I know this is a difficult situation” Talia sighs, “But please try to make yourself at home. You can have friends over, and you can go by your friends. All I ask is that you let me know where you are, and that you are home by eleven.”

“My mom works a lot of late shifts” he says, “My friend and I have sleepovers when one of our parents has a late shift.”

“I know this will take some getting used to” Talia says, “Your friend is welcome to stay over, as long as you let us know in advance.”

“Okay” Scott nods again, looking around the room, “Where can I put my stuff?”

“I’ll have Derek clear some room for you” she says, “You can get settled in, dinner is at seven.”

[…]

“I miss you, dude” Scott sighs, “They’re weird here. They have family dinner at seven. They all sit around the table together and eat.”

“Tssk, what a bunch of freaks” Stiles says, Scott snorts.

“I can’t wait until Monday” Scott says after a moment, “You should come here with me after school, check the place out.”

“It can’t be all bad, though. It must be nice having a bunch of people there?” Stiles asks, Scott sighs.

“It’s okay, I guess” he sighs, “The food is pretty good – but – oh, fuck. I got to go, Derek’s here. Talk to you later, man.”

“Bye.”

“Who were you talking to?” Derek asks, dropping onto the bed, Scott looks up at him.

“Just a friend” Scott says after a while, “Is dinner always like that here?”

“More or less” he replies, pulling a book from under his pillow, “Cora and Laura are exhausting, I think Cora is at school with you?”

“ _You_ are at school with me” Scott says, “You’re just a year up.”

“Right” Derek looks up from his book, “You want a ride tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’d be cool” he says, Derek nods, “What time do you leave?”

“Eight” he says, “Unless Cora is late again, which is probably the case. Then we’ll leave at a quarter past.”

“I have practice after. But my friend is giving me a ride after, we got a project to work on” he says after a while, “I can bring him here, right? I mean – his dad is working the late shift, so.”

“Yeah, it’s cool” Derek shrugs, “Mom will probably feed him, if she gets the chance.”

[…]

“Dude, fancy place” Stiles comments as he pulls up with his jeep, “You sure it’s okay for me to be here, right?”

“Yes” Scott says, “You’re my best friend, if you have to go, so do I.”

“You rule, dude” Stiles grins, getting out of the car and grabbing his bag from the backseat, “Lucky to have you.”

[…]

Scott’s happy to have Stiles over, finally being able to tell him about his date with Allison.

“No way” Stiles grins widely, pulling him into a hug, “You _finally_ asked her out? And?”

“Friday” he replies, “We’re going bowling.”

“You _suck_ at bowling” his friend replies with a snort, “Last time we went bowling you broke a glass counter. Your mom had you mow lawns for weeks to pay it back.”

“You were distracting me” Scott says defensively, causing his friend to laugh again. He remembers the day clearly.

“Yeah, yeah! Blame it on good old Stiles” his friend says, “If you recall, I kept you from being arrested.”

“Your _dad_ did that” Scott says, “You thought it was hilarious.”

“Scotty, we were eight years old” Stiles comments, “You were not getting arrested.”

“I was terrified, and you were laughing” Scott says, although he’s not mad at Stiles. He remembers when they went bowling that time, it was almost two months after Stiles’ mother had passed away and his dad had been working a lot of nights. It was back when Scott’s dad was still in the picture.

“You should’ve seen your face” Stiles says, laughing again, “Besides, you totally ruined our day out. And you weren’t mad back then, you laughed too.”

“Of course I did” Scott replies, “It was the first time I heard you laugh – after – _you know_.”

“After my mom died” Stiles finishes quietly, a silence falls between them, “Melissa is going to be fine, you know! Your mom is strong. She’ll wake up, and you’ll go home and everything will be fine.”

“I hope so” Scott sighs deeply, when Stiles says it like that, he almost believes it. “I just – dad hasn’t even called, you know? No message, nothing.”

“Your dad is a jerk” Scott snorts again, and Stiles continues “No, seriously. The day he walked out, was the best thing that could’ve happened to you and your mom.”

“I know” he says, “But still. He’s my dad, you know?”

“I know” his friend replies, “Okay, enough trips down memory lane! We have to finish our project first.”

There’s a knock on the door and they both turn towards it as it opens and Derek appears, hovering by the door uncertainly. As if he’s not sure whether or not he’s welcome.

“Hi” Scott waves at him, “This is my – Stiles.”

“Gee, thanks” Stiles rolls his eyes, “Stiles Stilinski, best friend extraordinaire.”

“You’re the sheriff’s kid” Derek comments, Stiles nods and Derek just stands there, slightly awkward.

“That’s what my friends call me” he jokes, “You must be Derek Hale. Beacon Hills High very own brooder. Eyebrow king.”

“What?” Derek frowns, Scott isn’t surprised. Stiles seems to leave a lot of people in utter confusion when he starts talking.

“Oh my god, Stiles” Scott says, giving him a shove, “Shut up.”

“Uhm – okay” Derek frowns, “Mom asked if your friend was staying for dinner.”

“He is” Scott says before Stiles can answer, Stiles shoots him a look, “Your dad won’t be home until 4am, you need to eat.”

“Yeah – I was going to bring him dinner at the station” Stiles says, Scott rolls his eyes and shakes his head, “Fine, I’ll join you for dinner.”

“Good” Scott says, grinning at his friend again, “Besides, the sheriff texted me and asked me to make sure you ate. Which means, my work for the day is done.”

“Nice try, Scotty boy! You still have to write out the results of our study for chemistry” Stiles says, shoving his friend with his shoulder, “Get to it, in the meanwhile, Derek can show me where the bathroom is.”

[…]

 

“So – are you getting used to it?” Stiles asks, taking a bite from his sandwich and looking up at his friend, “Living with the Hales?”

“Sort of” he shrugs, he’d been living with hem for three weeks now, “It’s just – weird. I’m sharing a room with Derek, and it’s weird. And it doesn’t make dating Allison any easier, I can’t really take her up to my room, can I?”

“No, I get it” Stiles says, “With a brother like that, you’re never getting laid again.”

“He is _not_ my brother” Scott scowls, Stiles grins and snort in response, “So – You’re staying over for dinner again tonight, right?”

“I am.”

[…]

It’s become almost a tradition, Stiles joins the Hales family for dinner three nights a week. Talia welcomes him with open arms, and Scott is grateful for it. Having his best friend around, someone who’s been like a brother to him, makes it easier. Especially since Stiles is probably the only person he knows who understands what he’s going through.

“We should get going if we want to be in time” Stiles says, checking his clock as he looks at Scott sitting across him at the dining room table. Talia raises an eyebrow at him.

“Be on time?” she asks suspiciously, “going to a party?”

“Hospital” Stiles says, noticing Scott’s uncomfortable posture, “To visit Melissa. Visiting hours end in two hours. Normally we go after school, but we had a game, so -.”

Talia looks at them, her eyes wide, “Oh, dear” she says, “I’m _so_ sorry, Scott. I hadn’t even thought about that. Of course you want to visit your mom.”

“It’s fine” Scott shrugs, “Didn’t want to bother you with it. You have enough on your plate to deal with.”

“That’s not an excuse” Talia says, clearly berating herself for the oversight, “You can always ask one of us for a ride to the hospital whenever you want to visit your mother.”

“I’ll keep it in mind” he says, taking the last few bites from his dinner.

“I guess you’re lucky to have a friend like Stiles” she says, giving the younger boy a grateful look, “To keep you company and stick up for your needs in these times.”

“It comes with the job” Stiles shrugs, slightly uncomfortable with the way everyone is looking at him, “Besides, Scott did the same for me when my mom – well. He did the same for me.”

“Nevertheless” Talia says, “You’re a good friend. Thank you.”

Stiles just looks down and blushes, “We – uhm – should go” he says, getting up and mumbling a _thanks for dinner_ under his breath, “We’ll be back at ten.”

[…]

“Stiles not joining us for dinner today?” Derek asks, Scott looks up – only slightly confused. Come to think about it – he hadn’t even seen Stiles at school today.

“What’s the date?” he asks, feeling a heavy weight in his stomach.

“The twenty seventh” Talia says, “Why?”

“Fuck” he replies, eyes widening. How could he have forgotten what today was, that it _was_ today.

“I have to go” he says, jumping up, “I – won’t be back tonight. Sorry.”

He doesn’t even bother explaining, there’s not time. He should’ve been there for Stiles today, since early morning. But he’d been too preoccupied with himself. He runs outside, vaguely aware that Derek is right behind him – probably by Talia’s request. He stops for a second, the cemetery is in walking distance, so he can run. Which he does. He gets there ten minutes later, finding Stiles wrapped in a blanket there.

“Stiles” Scott says, Derek comes to a stop behind him, “I’m _so_ sorry! I can’t believe I forgot what today was.

“Don’t worry about it Scott” Stiles says, looking up with sleepy eyes, “You’ve got more than enough on your mind.”

“That’s no excuse” he says, taking a step towards his friend. It looks like Stiles has been there all day, surrounded by wrappers and a thermos of tea.

“Oh – hi Derek” Stiles says, only now noticing Derek behind him.

“Stiles” Derek says, Scott doesn’t bother to turn and look at him, he knows that Derek is probably completely baffled.

“Let’s go home” Scott says, kneeling down, “It’s getting cold.”

“Just – a bit longer” he says, “It’s been a while since I visited.”

“Just a while” Scott says, sitting down next to him and wrapping his arm around Stiles. He falls asleep thirty minutes later.

[…]

“Scott? Do you have a moment?” Stiles asks, Scott frowns. He’s not used seeing his best friend like this, so nervous for something.

“Yeah, sure” Scott says, patting the empty bed, “What’s up dude?”

“So – uhm, I sort of have to tell you something” Stiles says, “I’ve known or a while, now. Always had a feeling, but last summer sort of sealed that deal for me – and, well.”

“Yeah?” Scott looks at him, “Dude, you can tell me anything – you know that right? What happened last summer?”

“I dated someone” he says, biting his lip as he meets Scott’s eye, “A guy.”

“Oh” Scott frowns again, not sure how to react, “I thought you liked girls – you dated Heather for a while, didn’t you?”

“I like both” he shrugs, “It’s just – you’re cool with that, right? Me being bi?”

“Yeah, no problem” Scott shrugs, “Derek is too, you know. It came up during dinner the first week.”

“Derek, huh?” Stiles says, and Scott already recognizes that glint in his eyes.

“NO” Scott shakes his head, “No way are you hooking up with Derek, that’d be weird, man!”

“I’m messing with you, dude” Stiles says, giving Scott a shove, “Besides, I’m way out of his league.”

“You are _so_ not, he is out of yours” Scott comments.

“Tssk, bullshit” Stiles says, “besides, you’re supposed to stick up for your brother.”

“I am” Scott says, “ _He_ is not my brother. You are.”

 

[…]

“Derek?” Scott asks two days later, both lying in their beds in the dark, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure” Derek says, Scott thinks for a moment, not sure how to formulate the question.

“You know I told you about Stiles earlier, and you said something” he says, pausing for a moment, “Were you serious? Like – would you date Stiles?”

“Uh” there’s a silence.

“I mean – it’s cool if you do! I mean, it’ll be weird. But, I don’t really have anything to say about it if you do” Scott says, suddenly realizing he sounds slightly accusing.

“I don’t know” Derek says, voice slightly strained, “He’s – uhm – well.’

“You can say he’s _handsome,_ I’m not gonna make a gag noise” Scott snorts, and Derek laughs.

“Not the word I was going to use” he says, “It’s just. I don’t know him that well.”

“But you’d like to? Know him better?” Scott asks, Derek sighs.

“Yeah” he mumbles, “I do.”

[…]

Scott sighs as he takes the empty chair next to his mother’s bed and rests his head on her shoulder.

“Hi, mom” he mumbles, once again alone with her – Stiles off somewhere to find them a snack. All in all Stiles is the best friend you can wish for, knowing when the make himself scarce.

“I miss you, a lot” he says, “The Hales are really nice, and I guess it’s pretty cool to have a sort of brother. But it’s not the same. It’ not you. I want you to meet Allison, that girl you’d been teasing me about? Well, I asked her out and we’re dating now. I haven’t brought her – it’s not really home, is it? I want her to meet my mom, not Talia. Don’t get me wrong, Talia is great. And she goes through a lot of trouble for me, to help me deal and all that. She’s making me see a therapist. Which is really hated at first, but now – I guess I can sort of see why she wanted me to. I didn’t tell Stiles about that, or even Derek. I mostly just tell them I’m at Allison. The sheriff knows, he agreed on it with Talia."

He sighs again, resting his hand on his mother's

"I miss you mom. I need you back, soon.”


	2. Stiles Stilinski

Stiles grabs his phone from his desks where it’s ringing incessantly, “Yo, dad! What’s up?” he says, checking the time and seeing it’s almost eleven pm.

“Stiles, I need you to go to the hospital and find Scott” the sheriff says, not taking the time to greet his son properly, “There’s been an incident with Melissa, so go over and find him. Try to keep him calm until I can get there, okay?”

“Dad? What happened?” Stiles asks, already looking for his keys and grabbing his wallet, “Is everything okay?”

“I’m not sure yet, son” the sheriff says, “Just get there, Scott will need to stay with us for a while. I’ll talk to you soon.”

His dad hangs up the phone, and Stiles wastes no time getting to his friend

 […]

_3 weeks later_

 “Stiles” Derek frowns at him when he opens the door, “Uhm, Scott isn’t here.”

“I know” Stiles replies, he’s feeling nervous, shifting from one foot to another, “I am here to see your mother. Is she home?”

“Uh, yeah” he says, “She’s in her study, come in.”

Stiles follows him inside, waiting in the living room as Derek leaves to et his mother.

“Stiles” she smiles warmly at him, “To what do I owe the pleasure.”

“I need to ask you something” he says, still nervous, “It’s about Scott.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“I don’t think you realize, because it’s sort of a habit” he says, watching Talia frown and look slightly confused, “Sometimes, you call him sweetie. You – uh - you can’t do that.”

Talia looks at him uncertainly, giving him a quizzical look.

“It’s what Melissa calls him” he elaborates, “It gets to him.”

“Oh” she sighs, “Why didn’t he just say something?”

“He didn’t want to sound ungrateful” Stiles shrugs, “You can say other things, I mean – you switch between things. You say honey, and darling, and pumpkin. He doesn’t care about those – it’s just the _sweetie_ or even _sweetheart_ that gets to him.”

“I’ll keep it in mind” Talia says, “thank you.”

“Yeah – sure” he says, looking around feeling uncomfortable all of the sudden.

“Scott should be back soon, he was just going by his – girlfriend, I think?” she asks, Stiles nods, “You’re free to wait for him, I’m sure Derek wouldn’t mind the company.”

“Yeah, thanks” he smiles, giving a little wave as he returns to the living room to find Derek sitting on the couch with a book.

“Hi’ he says, looking up and greeting Stiles with a smile – it looks good on him, “Want to play a game or something?”

“Sure” he shrugs, “

 

 

[…]

 

Stiles doesn’t remember how he got there, Scott probably carried him or something. Maybe even called for a ride, most likely drove Stiles’ jeep there. But when he wakes up he’s not at the cemetery anymore, no longer asleep on his mother’s gravestone. He’s asleep in Scott’s bed, Scott asleep on the floor.

Derek isn’t in the room anymore, but Scott is already awake, staring at the ceiling.

“Hi” Stiles mutters, “Good morning.”

“Morning sunshine” Scott grins at him, “You are probably wondering how you got here. Derek carried you.”

“Oh” Stiles replies. He really tries not to blush to that tidbit of information, “Hope he didn’t hurt his back or something.”

“He didn’t” Scott smirks at him, “Not at all.”

“Oh fuck” Stiles’ eyes widen, as he read his best friend’s face, “What did I say?”

“Nothing” his friend is practically laughing, “Maybe something about how he smelled nice.”

“Oh” Stiles looks down again, staring at his feet, “Well – he kind of does, right? What deodorant does he use?”

“Are you kidding me?” Scott almost laughs, and Stiles can feel himself get nervous. Maybe this is the time to come clean, to tell his friend about his _equal opportunity_ deal.

[…]

Coming out to Scott is like a weight lifting off his shoulder. He feels freer, like he no longer has to stop himself from checking people out.

“Good morning” Stiles jumps up as Derek walks up behind him, “Scott just told me.”

“Like you didn’t know already” Stiles says, Derek shrugs, “See – I _knew_ it.”

“What did you know?” Derek asks, cocking an eyebrow at him and crossing his arms – a smirk on his face.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking out my ass” he grins, taking a step towards Derek and biting his lip – shamelessly letting his eyes rake over Derek’s body.

“Like you’re the one to judge” Derek replies, Stiles can’t help but shiver as Derek takes a step towards him – their shoulders brushing – and then walks past him.

“I’d apologize” Stiles comments, “But it wouldn’t really be sincere – you are _really_ nice to look at.”

“Right back at you” Derek says, turning and leaning against the kitchen table, he opens his mouth to say something else when Talia calls him from the living room.

“Be right there mom” he calls back, Stiles grins at him and watches him leave, slightly disappointed their conversation got interrupted.

[…]

“Shit” he mutters, clenching his fists, “Shit, shit, shit.”

He paces back and forth, clenching his jaw and trying to keep his tears down. He can feel the panic rising in his stomach. He shouldn’t freak out, he doesn’t know anything yet. It was just a phone call, his dad saying that there was news. Yet for some reason he’s immediately jumping to the worst conclusions possible.

“Don’t cry” Derek says, looking slightly panicked, “Please don’t – I – I wish I could.”

He tries to calm himself down, but he fails. Derek steps towards him, wrapping his arms around him and he relaxes into the touch. It’s a soothing gesture – so intimate that it makes him shiver. And then Derek presses his lips against his forehead, and Stiles can feel the stress drain out of him. It’s something nobody has done to him in a long time – it’s the way Melissa comforts him, the way his mom calmed him down. It’s the way people he cares about comfort him.

And it’s how Derek somehow pulls him off the edge of a panic attack. They don’t talk about it later. They don’t need to, things don’t become awkward or uncomfortable. It’s almost like the opposite happens.

[…]

“Your collar is crooked” Derek says, leaning over and adjusting it. Stiles shivers slightly in response, as he always does when Derek is in close proximity. It started with the hug, or it progressed from there. He’d freaked out about a phone call, even though it turned out to be good news; Melissa’s brain activity was getting back to normal readings.

He’s been noticing it, this _thing_ between them. The way they dance around each other, the way they interact with each other.

He notices, he pretends it doesn’t make his heart thunder in his chest when their hands graze in passing, always pretending it was unintentionally.

“So….” Scott smirks at him as he closes the bedroom door behind him, “What is going on between you and Derek?”

“I don’t know” Stiles shrugs, “There’s this _thing,_ and I think maybe -.”

“You like him, don’t you?” Scott asks, “You got that look again. The same one you had right before you and Heather started dating.”

“I do” Stiles sighs, “It’s just – I don’t know what it is, Scott! You know me, I’m awkward and uncomfortable and I talk too much. But with him – it’s all so easy. He doesn’t care about those things, he doesn’t judge. I don’t feel so awkward around him.”

“You know he likes you too, right?” Scott asks, Stiles turns and looks at him, “He does, like, crazy about you.”

“Did he tell you that?” Stiles asks, “Because I get these – vibes – from him. But you know me, I’m too scared of rejection to act on it.”

“Yes, I know” Scott says, “But he won’t reject you, trust me.”

“You know I do.”

“Yeah, it’s your biggest flaw” Scott says, giving him a playful shove, “Go for it, okay!”

“Okay” he says, “But I’m trusting you on this, Scotty boy.”


	3. Derek Hale

“Derek, can you come here for a while?” Talia says, gesturing to her son to follow her into the study, “You know I’m registered as a foster parent.”

“Uhm – yeah?” Derek says slowly, “Since when?”

“I registered when Laura moved out, but then she moved back in” his mother says, “Thing is, we got someone who’ll be coming to stay with us for a while, and he will be sharing a room with you.”

Derek frowns, “Who?” he asks, “Where will he sleep? There’s only one bed.”

“We have an old bed in the attic we can assemble, your dad is passing by the store to pick up a mattress and a blanket” Talia explains, “He’ll be here in two days. I know it’s short notice, but he has nowhere else to go and the sheriff called in a favor.”

“How long will he be staying?” Derek asks, trying not to sound annoyed.

“I’m not sure” Talia says, “From what I understand his mother is in the hospital. I don’t know the gravity of the situation, but I know he’s not coming from an abusive family.”

“Okay” Derek says, processing the information and already figuring out how to organize his life around a roommate.

“He’s at school with you” Talia says, “His name is Scott McCall.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell” Derek shrugs, “I’ll – uhm – go get the bed to assemble.”

“Thanks, sweetheart” Talia smiles at her son, “Just – he’s going through a difficult time right now. So – be supportive.”

“Sure.”

[…]

Scott is okay. In a way it’s nice to have another guy in the house, instead of being surrounded by women. Of course, there’s his dad. But he often works late and Derek hardly sees him. Scott – however – just started dating someone and has two hour phone conversations with his girlfriend. He gets this _look_ on his face whenever she calls, and Derek _knows_ it’s her before he even picks up the phone.

But it’s also one of the few times Scott actually looks happy, so he doesn’t mind all that much.

Derek can hear the laughter from the hallway as he walks up to his room – well, his and Scott’s room – and stops.

“No way” the stranger’s voice calls, “You _finally_ asked her out? And?”

“Friday” Scott replies, “We’re going bowling.”

“You _suck_ at bowling” his friend replies with a snort, “Last time we went bowling you broke a glass counter. Your mom had you mow lawns for weeks to pay it back.”

“You were distracting me” Scott says defensively, causing his friend to laugh again.

“Yeah, yeah! Blame it on good old Stiles” his friends – probably Stiles – says, “If you recall, I kept you from being arrested.”

“Your _dad_ did that” Scott says, “You thought it was hilarious.”

“Scotty, we were eight years old” Stiles comments, “You were not getting arrested.”

“I was terrified, and you were laughing” Scott says, no real heat behind the words.

“You should’ve seen your face” Stiles says, laughing again, “Besides, you totally ruined our day out. And you weren’t mad back then, you laughed too.”

“Of course I did” Scott replies, “It was the first time I heard you laugh – after – _you know_.”

“After my mom died” Stiles finishes quietly, a silence falling between them, “Melissa is going to be fine, you know! Your mom is strong. She’ll wake up, and you’ll go home and everything will be fine.”

“I hope so” Scott sighs deeply, “I just – dad hasn’t even called, you know? No message, nothing.”

“Your dad is a jerk” Scott snorts again, “No, seriously. The day he walked out, was the best thing that could’ve happened to you and your mom.”

“I know” he says, “But still. He’s my dad, you know?”

“I know” his friend replies, “Okay, enough trips down memory lane! We have to finish our project first.”

Derek knocks before coming in and watches both boys turn towards him.

“Hi” Scott waves at him, “This is my – Stiles.”

“Gee, thanks” Stiles rolls his eyes, “Stiles Stilinski, best friend extraordinaire.”

“You’re the sheriff’s kid” Derek comments, he nods.

“That’s what my friends call me” he jokes, “You must be Derek Hale. Beacon Hills High very own brooder. Eyebrow king.”

“What?” Derek’s not sure how to respond to that.

“Oh my god, Stiles” Scott says, giving him a shove, “Shut up.”

“Uhm – okay” Derek frowns, “Mom asked if your friend was staying for dinner.”

“He is” Scott says before Stiles can answer, Stiles shoots him a look, “Your dad won’t be home until 4am, you need to eat.”

“Yeah – I was going to bring him dinner at the station” Stiles says, Scott rolls his eyes and shakes his head, “Fine, I’ll join you for dinner.”

“Good” Scott says, grinning at his friend again, “Besides, the sheriff texted me and asked me to make sure you ate. Which means, my work for the day is done.”

“Nice try, Scotty boy! You still have to write out the results of our study for chemistry” Stiles says, shoving his friend with his shoulder, “Get to it, in the meanwhile, Derek can show me where the bathroom is.”

Stiles gets up from the bed, passing the laptop that had been on his lap to Scott and gesturing to Derek to lead the way.

“Uhm – okay” Derek says, watching as Stiles closes the door behind him, “This way.”

“Yeah, I don’t need the bathroom” Stiles says, “Just wanted to talk. Make sure you’re nice to him and all.”

“Oh” Derek looks at him. Stiles Stilinski. He’d noticed the guy before, he had somehow managed to catch his attention in school, passing each other in the hallway. There’s been times when Derek had found himself staring at someone, only to realize it had been Stiles when he’d turned around. And now he was here.

“Look – Scott’s my best friend” Stiles says, “He’s going through a hard time right now. I know what it’s like – watching your mom lie in a hospital bed. They’re not even sure if she’ll recover – even though they’re hopeful.”

“What happened?” Derek asks, Stiles sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“She was attacked by a patient” he says, “She fell into a coma during surgery. Since she’s a nurse there, her insurance is covering everything. But I’ve done my research, the longer she stays in it – the less chance she’ll - .”

“Wake up” Derek finishes gloomily, noticing Stiles’ eyes getting shiny with tears, “Are _you_ okay?”

“Yeah – it’s just” he bites his lip and glances at the door, “Melissa has been like a mom to me, you know? Ever since my own mom died when I was eight, she’s been there. For the past nine years – and. But Scott needs me to be strong. So, I keep going.”

Derek nods, not sure how to respond. He can’t even imagine losing his mother, just the idea of it makes his heart stop in absolute terror.

Stiles takes a deep breath, shaking his head and regaining some composure.

“Just – be there for him when I can’t” Stiles says eventually after pulling himself together, “Distract him if needed, games are always a good way to do so.”

“I’ll keep it in mind” Derek says, Stiles nods and then smiles at him.

“Thanks” he says, “You’re not as moody as everyone claims you are.”

“I’m the most cheerful person on the planet” Derek says, his face blank as he looks at Stiles, “I’m just a good actor.”

“Well – you’re certainly pretty enough for it” Stiles replies under his breath, before turning and reentering the room to join Scott again.

[…]

“Hi” Stiles drops onto the couch next to him, clearly bored. Scott isn’t back yet, and he was meeting up with Stiles to finish their project or something.

“You want to play a game?” Derek suggests, Stiles shrugs and nods, “Great! Just pick one out, I’ll go get the controllers.”

He’s picked out a game when Derek returns with the controllers and two bottles of soda to drink. Stiles smiles gratefully at him as he takes the bottle and takes a sip – and Derek just freezes. He’d heard Stiles laugh before – but he can’t remember seeing him smile. He couldn’t imagine forgetting that smile ever again.

“Thanks” Stiles grins at him, wiping off his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

“No problem” he says, sitting down again and handing Stiles the other controller. They sit together for at least an hour, playing mindless games and shouting at the screen occasionally. Stiles gets enraptured in the game, and when Scott comes back after an hour and drops down next to Stiles he jumps up and falls off the couch.

“Holy shit, Scott” he says, grabbing his chest dramatically, “You gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry dude” Scott smirks at his friend, “What are you doing here, have you been waiting for me long?”

“Who said I came here for you?” Stiles says, crossing his arms, “Maybe I came here to hang out with Derek. We get along pretty great, Right, Derek?”

“Uh – yeah” he says hesitantly, not sure how to respond. Sure, he and Stiles got along, but they hadn’t really talked to each other for the past hour. Apart from shouting at the screen, giving each other suggestions to win a level, a sideway glance every now and then.

“See” Stiles says, getting back on the couch and throwing an arm over Derek’s shoulder, “Best buds already.”

[…]

Derek’s slightly surprised Stiles isn’t there for dinner that night, especially since Scott said he probably would be yesterday. When he asks about it, however, Scott freezes and storms out.

“Derek – please go with him and make sure everything is okay” his mother says, as Scott storms out the door. Derek nods and follows suit.

He follows Scott all the way to the graveyard, where Stiles is bundled up in a few blankets and lying sleepily on a gravestone.

_Claudia Stilinski._

_Beloved wife, loving mother._

It’s like something cold drops in his stomach as he sees Stiles sit there, so breakable and fragile. So unlike the Stiles he’s gotten to know.

So unlike the Stiles that warned him to be nice to his best friend, the Stiles that told his mother – who scared people all over Beacon Hills – to stop calling his friend _sweetie_ because it reminded him too much of his mother. The Stiles that – wasn’t this.

He’s not really listening, just watches as Scott steps towards him and sits down.

“He fell asleep” Scott says after a while, “His dad is working late – you think he can sleep with us?”

“Sure” Derek says, “I’ll take him, you get his mess!”

“Thanks” Scott smiles at him, and Derek is surprised how he manages to do that so often with everything he’s going through. Derek crouches down to pick Stiles up, the other boy muttering in his sleep as he places his arms around Derek’s neck.

“ _Miss you, mom_ ” he mumbles, and it just about breaks Derek’s heart. They make their way to Stiles’ jeep and load him onto the backseat, Scott joining him to keep him upright as Derek drives – since Scott doesn’t have a license yet.

They stop by the Hale house a bit later, Talia Hale waiting on the steps as Derek grabs Stiles from the backseat.

“It’s uhm – his mom’s death’s anniversary” Scott explains uncertainly, ducking slightly under Talia’s gaze.

“I see” she smiles, “I’ll call the sheriff, let him know his son is staying over here.”

“Thanks, ma’am” Scott says, Derek can see his mother cringe to it. She hates being called ma’am, yet Scott can’t help himself. Stiles wraps his arms around Derek’s neck again. _‘hmm, you smell good”_ he mutters, Scott turns around and looks at them.

“Did he just say?” he asks, eyes wide in glee.

“Not a _word_ ” Derek warns, a blush creeping up his cheeks,.

“Not a word” Scott says, trying not to laugh.

He fails.

[…]

“Scott, you okay?” Derek asks when he enters the room and finds Scott sitting on the bed staring into the room.

“Huh?” He looks up, clearly startled, “Yeah – just thinking.”

“What about?” he asks sitting down across from Scott on his own bed. He liked Scott, they get along surprisingly well. He already knows that – when Melissa gets better – he’s going to miss having him around.

“Stiles was just telling me about last summer” Scott shrugs, “About his ex-boyfriend. So now I’m just trying to figure out what signs I missed – and thinking back to it knowing what I know now. Well, I missed a lot of signs.”

“Signs about what?” Derek frowns, not sure what Scott is talking about.

“That he was into guys too” Scott says, only making Derek more confused.

“You didn’t know?” Derek shakes his head, “I thought it was common knowledge. Although, now you mention it. He never really said anything about it.”

“How did you know?” Scott asks, Derek smirks.

“It’s a talent” he says, maybe it’s not the best to tell Scott that he’d notices Stiles checking out his ass, or getting this distant look in his eyes staring at Derek.

He’d feel uncomfortable about it, if he hadn’t been doing the exact same thing to Stiles for weeks.

 

[…]

He’s known about Stiles being bi for a while, reading the signs was easy. But now that he had verbal confirmation – he couldn’t help but wonder.

Stiles spends a lot of time at the Hale house. Sometimes he gets there before Scott, waiting for him as his friend is still at his girlfriend’s.

“Hi there, Derek” Stiles smiles at him, sitting down on the couch next to him.

Derek thanks the gods that his sisters are barely home during the day. Either at school, or at their friends during the weekend. His parents are on a walk in the preserve – it’s their weekend tradition – and won’t be back until right before dinner.

“Stiles” he says, looking towards him, “Want to watch a movie?”

“Yeah, sure” he smiles, “You choose one, as long as it has action in it, I’m good.”

Derek nods, picking a DVD from the cabinet and putting it in. He sits back on the couch next to Stiles, grabbing a blanket to sit under. He pretends he’s not aware of it, how they end up sitting pressed against each other fifteen minutes into the movie. How Stiles’ hand ends up resting on his knee, how his fingers intertwine with his underneath the blanket. He tries to ignore the way his heart jumps when Stiles presses his face against his chest during a scary scene, or how Stiles’ grips tighten when the superhero falls off the building. He tries not to stare at Stiles as he bites his lips.

[…]

“Shit” he mutters, clenching his fists, “Shit, shit, shit.”

He paces back and forth, clenching his jaw and trying to keep his tears down

“Don’t cry” Derek says, looking slightly panicked, “Please don’t – I – I wish I could.”

He looks around, seeing if anyone is around, and then he makes up his mind, takes a step forward, and pulls Stiles into a hug.

He feels Stiles tense up and then relax, suddenly shaking, “Shht” Derek mutters, whispering into his hair, “Shhht, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

He presses his lips to Stiles’ forehead. A soothing gesture that always calms him down, hoping to keep Stiles from panicking.

“It’s gonna be okay” he repeats again, kissing his forehead again, “It’s gonna be okay.”

He keeps repeating it, keeps pressing his lips against his temple and his arm around him while his other hand rakes through his hair.

It takes a while, but Stiles finally stops shaking, his breath eases down as he lets out a deep sigh and slumps into Derek’s touch.

 

They don’t talk about it afterwards, and if Derek thought things would be awkward between them after it – well, he’s wrong.

He doesn’t notice it at first, but after a while he does. The way he’ll let his hand rake across Stiles’ arm in passing. The way Stiles will place his hand on Derek’s shoulder when he greets him. The easy way they interact or touch each other. It’s innocent. Stiles doesn’t think twice about reaching out and using his thumb to clean a crumb from the corner of Derek’s mouth. Derek doesn’t even hesitate to rake his hand through Stiles’ hair to make it look more presentable, or to correct the collar of his shirt.

His mother is the first one to say something about it to him.

“So – you and Stiles, huh?” she comments, when they’re out grocery shopping, Derek looks up, “Oh, come on, Derek! I’m not blind.”

“There’s nothing going on between us” Derek sighs, his mother shoots him a look, an evil smile on her face.

“But you’d like there to be, right?” she asks, he bites his lip – very aware that he’s blushing now – as he shrugs in response.

“Maybe” he mumbles, his mother just smiles, pulling him in a sideways hug.

“Then go for it, kiddo” Talia says, kissing his forehead, “You got nothing to lose, and he’s clearly gone for you.”

[…]

“Scott just left” Derek says when he opens the door to find Stiles.

“I know” Stiles replies, he has a look in his eyes, one that Derek can’t quite place.

“Then why are you here?” Derek asks, heart beating in his chest as he awaits Stiles’ answer.

“I’m here for you” he says, a smirk, “Duh.”

“Oh” Derek smiles at him, letting him into the living room and waking right behind him, “So – how can I help you?”

“Tell me I haven’t been imagining this” Stiles says, turning and meeting Derek’s eyes, “That this _thing_ between us – that it isn’t just a figment of my imagination.”

“It’s not” Derek says, feeling himself shiver under Stiles’ gaze.

“Good” Stiles says, he looks nervous – Derek can’t really blame him for that – as he takes a step closer. They stand there, across each other – Derek is suddenly painfully aware of the silence in the house, how it seems to echo off the walls.

He wants to say something, opens his mouth, when Stiles’ phone starts ringing, twenty messages at once – it seems. He sighs, pulling out his phone and checking – and then he’s grinning.

“Melissa woke up” he says, “Melissa woke up, and she’s gonna be fine.”

And then, without thinking, Derek just pulls him into his arms and kisses him. Stiles melts into him, laughing in-between kisses, his arms around Derek’s neck as Derek lifts him and turns.

“We should probably go visit” Derek says, Stiles grins and nods.

“Yes, we should” he says, “We totally should.”

“Two more minutes?” Derek suggests, Stiles laughs again – his eyes meeting Derek’s – and gives a solemn nod.

“Two more minutes.”


End file.
